Home, Travels

March 12^th

Back in Kossouka at last! Last night when I got home to my very dirty house I initially thought I should set up my bug hut outside, but the night seemed to be cooling off and I'm glad I didn't since I had to get up in the night to get a pagne to cover myself! What's going on Burkina? Don't get me wrong, I do prefer to not sweat all night long, but it's mid-March and clearly time for the heat to get cranked back up. What kind of PCV will I be if this is the one and only April in Burkina history that isn't so hot even the locals warn against it? Plus, after 100+ temperatures, the rain in June feels even more welcome.

Slept very well, until Dave called a bit after 8am. Got up, made some tea and oatmeal, and got caught up on his life. He's decided not to go to Mali – he's been traveling a ton the past month, it's more expensive than he thought, and he'd have to leave site again in a week. So he'll save his money and go to Morocco to visit his friend in June, a choice that sounds better all around. He said something that really hit me, that sometimes traveling feels more like a checklist than an actual desire. I had been about to type that I would love to go to Mali and visit Dogun country, but do I really? I don't know much about it, I think I just want to go to say that I have, to explore it, to check it off. Maybe if I learned more about it I would have a sincere desire to visit, but at the moment it truly is a place to be checked off.

But where do I truly want to travel? How does a name on a list of countries translate into a real desire and motivation to visit? With the internet I could virtually “visit” most any country and satisfy my curiosity about it, so what pushes it that step further? I want to go back to places like Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Australia, France because I have fond memories and want to re-explore old places with new eyes, as well as seeing all new places. I want to visit Nepal because I have family there and getting to see the tallest mountains in the world would just be amazing, plus the whole region sounds very intriguing from books I've read set there. India is known for it's chai and ashrams, as my interest in the spiritual aspects of meditation and yoga are deepening. I think Japan would be fun because of a love of Japanese food. Morocco promises delicious food and camels. Chile has skiing in the summer. Egypt has pyramids, ancient history, and the Library of Alexandria. Israel/Palestine has so much cultural, historical, and religious significance. Europe as a whole promises easy travel, amazing foods, artwork, and architecture. Tanzania has safari animals. I think if I had the choice, I would chose to travel around Western Europe, although I feel like I would learn and grow a lot more if I chose to explore a different region that doesn't initially pull me, like the Middle East or South America. Here's to many future travel adventures! Where do you want to go?